{"id":32808,"date":"2019-07-15T18:30:33","date_gmt":"2019-07-15T10:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/?p=32808"},"modified":"2019-07-16T00:52:40","modified_gmt":"2019-07-15T16:52:40","slug":"la-picara-is-that-cheeky-spanish-restaurant-amidst-the-busy-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/location\/philippines\/taguig\/bonifacio-global-city\/la-picara-is-that-cheeky-spanish-restaurant-amidst-the-busy-city\/","title":{"rendered":"La Picara Is That Cheeky Spanish Restaurant Amidst the Busy City"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"La Picara | Philippine Primer Eats\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/awDwQve9ksw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>April Fools is\u00a0among the cheekiest events of the year and <strong>La Picara<\/strong> in <strong>Bonifacio Global City<\/strong> specifically chose it to open their new abode to the public, which perfectly resonates with their concept.<\/p>\n<p>Spanish expat <strong>Isabel Calvo<\/strong>\u00a0is one of the main culprits behind this hip restaurant. During the interview, she emphasized how the journey wasn&#8217;t as easy as pie for her, &#8220;When they say &#8216;you work on your dreams, it will come true&#8217;\u2014you <em>really<\/em> have to work a lot.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She was only convinced by her friends to sell her honest-to-goodness croquettes and paellas at the Legazpi Sunday Market three years ago, but a few months after that, she decided to finally open her own restaurant.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33124\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-18.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-18.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-18-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-18-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Along the way, she met two more expats, <strong>Felipe Diaz<\/strong> and <strong>Ben Arnold<\/strong>, and a Filipino businessman<strong> Shav Halley<\/strong>\u2014finally making the restaurant more than just a dream. &#8220;The four of us worked on every single detail together,&#8221; Isabel shared.<\/p>\n<p>Sticking to the name <em>picara, <\/em>which means cheeky (<em>makulit<\/em>\u00a0or <em>pilya<\/em> in Filipino), Isabel explained,&#8221;I wanted to create on a fun, tropical design [&#8230;] and I thought maybe we can play around on the fusion because I didn&#8217;t want to present the food as everybody does, and we can have that cheeky touch in the food.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33125\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-19.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-19.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-19-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-19-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The whole menu\u00a0was crafted by Isabel, with the help of their main chef, <strong>Bernardo<\/strong>, who is also a Spanish expat.\u00a0Albeit being a Spanish restaurant, you&#8217;d be surprised by how they were able to transform their dishes into unique fusions.<\/p>\n<p>For a light start, try their <strong>Mouse Temptation (Php 490)<\/strong>\u00a0with raspberry coulis for a sweet treat. You may choose between Manchego Semi Curado, Oncari Blue Cheese, or Cana de Cabra.<\/p>\n<p>It is perhaps among the cutest servings you&#8217;ll ever see as the cured cheese is\u00a0placed on an actual mousetrap.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33136\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-16.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-16-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-16-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Mouse Temptation (Php 490)\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The crowd-favorite\u00a0<strong>Kimchi Croquetas (Php 340) <\/strong>is\u00a0their version of nigiri topped with salmon, but instead of rice, they use croquetas. It literally melts in the mouth with a little bit of seafood hint!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33132\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-5.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-5-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-5-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Kimchi Croquetas (Php 340)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile,<strong> Waffletilla de Patata (Php 340) <\/strong>is\u00a0presented like a waffle but is actually a tortilla<strong>, <\/strong>served with sriracha mayo and parsley aioli. This dish is already heavy as it is, but it&#8217;s worth the extra carbs for the day.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33133\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-7.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-7-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-7-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Waffletilla de Patata (Php 340)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Their<strong> Siomai de Carrillera (Php 380) <\/strong>can be very deceiving<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>as\u00a0it\u00a0looks\u00a0like your usual\u00a0dumplings, but theirs\u00a0is<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>made with classic beef cheek delicately stewed in red wine for 24 hours.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33134\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-9.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-9.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-9-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-9-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Siomai de Carrillera (Php 380)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">Sisig is undoubtedly one of the most popular dishes in the country and is usually enjoyed\u00a0with a cup of rice. But La Picara and their exquisite\u00a0<strong>Sisig Pibil Tacos (Php 340)\u00a0<\/strong>beg to differ<strong>, <\/strong>crafting\u00a0a medley of onion, chili, and pork bits served inside a taco.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33126\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-20.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-20.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-20-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-20-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Sisig Pibil Tacos (Php 340)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A Spanish treat won&#8217;t be complete without the signature paella. Those who love spicy food wouldn&#8217;t want to miss out on their <strong>Chili Crab Paella (Php 890),\u00a0<\/strong>served\u00a0with soft shell crab tempura.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33137\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-17.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-17.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-17-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-17-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Chili Crab Paella (Php 890)\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>It has the base of Singaporean chili crab, cooked traditionally\u2014with a thin layer of rice to absorb the flavor, forming a\u00a0toasted taste (locally known as <em>tutong<\/em>). It&#8217;s difficult not to love the fusion of salty, spicy, and seafood flavors.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33135\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-12.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-12.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-12-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-12-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Another thing to note is that La Picara has a <strong>special menu<\/strong>\u00a0that they change every two weeks or so\u2014a hint that there will be more in store!<\/p>\n<p>Apart from these delicious meals, they also have an extensive alcohol collection that promises a good time.\u00a0You might want to visit during their happy\u00a0hour from <strong>2 p.m. to 6 p.m. <\/strong>to score\u00a0<strong>buy one, take one<\/strong>\u00a0deals<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>on their cocktails for only <strong>Php 350<\/strong><b>.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33130\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-3.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-3-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-3-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One of their best-sellers is the<strong>\u00a0Sangria<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Picara,<\/strong>\u00a0which is red wine infused with tropical fruits like\u00a0<em>rambutan (<\/em>known as the local lychee). The fruits surely add a refreshing twist to it the classic drink.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t be fooled by the<strong> Fresa Colada<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>as it may look just like your favorite strawberry smoothie at first glance, but it&#8217;s actually mixed with Bacardi superior rhum.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"534\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33127\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-21.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-21.jpg 534w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-21-146x218.jpg 146w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-21-401x600.jpg 401w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 534px) 100vw, 534px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>\u00a0Fresa Colada (left) &amp; Sangria Picara (right)\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">The overall look of La Picara gives off a really cheeky and quirky vibe, from its walls and lightings to tables and chairs.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33131\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-4.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-4-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-4-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Everything looks boldly colorful that it will remind you of a tropical life\u2014in a quite sophisticated way.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33128\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-1-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-1-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The plates where we serve the food, the food itself, everything has that cheeky touch\u2014that <em>picaro<\/em> touch,&#8221;\u00a0Isabel\u00a0concluded.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33129\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-2-290x194.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/La-Picara-2-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>Also read:<\/em>\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/location\/philippines\/taguig\/bonifacio-global-city\/harlan-holden-coffee-the-first-online-coffee-shop-in-the-ph\/\">Harlan + Holden Coffee: The First Online Coffee Shop in the PH<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>How to get here<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>By\u00a0car: From EDSA, exit onto Kalayaan going to Bonifacio Global City. Go straight until you reach 32nd Street. Turn right onto 5th Ave.\u00a0One Bonifacio High Street will be on your right, and La Picara is located near the escalator\/stairs from the entrance, a few steps from Harlan + Holden Coffee.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>Written by Yana Bautista<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Opened in April 2019, La Picara in BGC is a cheeky Spanish restaurant serving quirky, honest-to-goodness dishes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":33286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,14],"tags":[3686,3687,3690,3691,3688,3689,3692],"class_list":["post-32808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spanish","category-bonifacio-global-city","tag-la-picara","tag-la-picara-bgc","tag-la-picara-manila","tag-la-picara-manila-menu","tag-la-picara-menu","tag-la-picara-philippines","tag-la-picara-taguig"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32808"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33292,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32808\/revisions\/33292"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}